One of the most exciting ways to get involved with Jatukik Providence Foundation is to volunteer abroad in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We operate diverse programs that allow us to offer visitors a unique and meaningful experience. Volunteers work along side JPF staff, interact with the local people, and help to make a lasting impact.

Below are just a few of the ways that volunteers have helped JPF in the past. But don’t feel restricted! JPF would be thrilled to receive new proposals for volunteer activities.

Teaching at a school or training center

JPF has always believed that the easiest way to bring sustainable development to the Congo is through educating youth. The enthusiasm and resilience of the children in the communities we serve never cease to surprise us. JPF supports schools and offers a variety of subjects in Kinshasa and Kibeti. In addition to youth education in the Congo, JPF offers adult job-training courses that give volunteers an opportunity to help the unemployed population of Kinshasa.

Providing medical support

Few people in the Congo have access to adequate medical care. Hospitals and clinics are understaffed and often overwhelmed with high volumes of patients seeking treatment. JPF seeks medical personnel of all backgrounds to offer their services to help the Congolese people. With clinics in Kibeti and Kikwit, JPF has facilities for medical volunteers who are interested in volunteering abroad. We encourage medical personnel to come to the Congo, not just to treat patients, but also to educate the community on preventative care and nutrition.

Working at an orphanage

The children in our orphanages have gone through things that are difficult to comprehend. They have witnessed atrocities, lost their families, and often survived on the streets alone. Despite their amazing resilience and unbreakable spirit, we still feel social integration is important to the development of the children in our care. Volunteers are often amazed that they can change the life of a Congolese orphan through soccer, laughing, or sharing a story.

Taking photos

Aside from reports on poaching and violence on the Eastern border, images rarely come out. This reality makes the situation in the Congo seem abstract and mysterious to outsiders. To bring a human face to the Congo, some of our volunteers have traveled with the sole purpose of filming or photographing. Volunteer abroad and capture the Congo through your camera lens.

Providing IT assistance

Communications and technology are growing technologies in the Congo. JPF staff works with local companies in the Congo to ensure the courses we offer are relevant to the needs of the local job market. Share your technological expertise to help our job training center serve the community more effectively.

Regardless of which activities they undertake, volunteers are a vital part of our work in the Congo.

Below, a recent volunteer recounts her experience as a teacher at one of JPF’s education centers in Kinshasa:

February 2, 2012

by Dana Hale

In September 2011, I spent three weeks as a volunteer English teacher for the Jatukik Providence foundation in Kinshasa, DRC. The busy neighborhood where the job training center is located was bustling with activity: vendors, pedestrians, workers pushing carts and cars maneuvering along the bumpy roads. On my first day, I arrived at the center to find about 20 people waiting in the space outside that became our classroom. The number of students increased daily until nearly 60 had showed up for lessons during my stay. I spent my final week at the EVEN/EDEN orphanage teaching songs, vocabulary and games.

The most uplifting part of my stay was the conversations I had with adults and children where they expressed their concerns about their country and their deep desire to build a better life. Liliane, a 25-year-old student and mother, spoke about wanting to increase her English and computer skills because they were so important to her chosen career field of accounting. It encouraged me to know that I had been able to help her with her goals. I wanted to go to the DRC initially because of what I had read about the country and because I felt my knowledge of French would facilitate connecting with the people. The most difficult part of the experience was seeing the unmet needs—material and emotional—particularly among the orphans. My volunteer experience showed me that anything we are willing to contribute—in time, donations or skills—can inspire and help the Congolese face their country’s challenges.

You can help build our community of volunteer abroad supporters so that together we can achieve what would be impossible on our own. Come donate your time and efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo!